Profile

Unlike most Pakistani players who enter the international fold with little or no prior experiences, Saeed Ajmal came with a heavy bag of domestic experience. An off-spinner by trait looking to out-think rather than out-do a batsman, he got his maiden opportunity in an ODI against India at Karachi in 2008. As an economical bowler, he successfully replaced the long-favoured Danish Kaneria in the limited-overs format.

Part of Pakistan’s spin attack in the first-ever World Twenty20, his ability to contain batsmen saw his team reach the finals. A year later, in 2009, they did one better to win the trophy, with Ajmal as the star performer with the ball, emerging as the tournament’s joint second-highest wicket-taker.

In 2009, aged nearly 32, he was deservingly rewarded a Test cap against Sri Lanka and he didn't disappoint, picking up five wickets in the game. The following year, on tour to England, in only his 11th Test innings with the ball, Ajmal took a five-wicket haul and scored a half-century, announcing his authority in the big league.

His unique doosra and an ability to vary pace and trajectory has earned him quite a reputation across all formats of the game. Saeed Ajmal is the leading wicket-taker in T20Is and had he not been picked to play for Pakistan so late, he could have threatened a few bowling records in ODIs and Tests. With the ability to wreak havoc on all kinds of surfaces, Ajmal has turned into one of the most lethal and feared spinners of his era.